Sideways (Dierks Bentley song)

"Sideways"
Single by Dierks Bentley
from the album Feel That Fire
Released	March 2, 2009
Format	CD single digital download
Recorded	2008–09
Genre	Bro-country[1]
Length	3:04
Label	Capitol Nashville
Writer(s)	Jim Beavers Dierks Bentley
Producer(s)	Brett Beavers Dierks Bentley
Dierks Bentley singles chronology
"Feel That Fire" (2008) "Sideways" (2009) "I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes" (2009)

"Sideways" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Dierks Bentley. As the twelfth single of his career, it was released on March 2, 2009 as the second one from his fourth studio album, Feel That Fire. On the chart week of July 11, 2009, the song became his seventh Number One single on the Hot Country Songs chart.

The song is part of the tracklist for Now That's What I Call Country Volume 2.

Content

"Sideways" was co-written by Bentley himself, along with Jim Beavers, the brother of Bentley's producer, Brett Beavers.^[2] This song is uptempo and is backed mainly by electric guitar and banjo. This song is about the male character's attempt to talk to a female in a bar. Despite being unable to hear her name, he still tries to come on to her, saying that he wants to "get a little sideways" with her. The song's final chorus features the ambient noise of a bar, along with a chanted chorus by backing vocalists.

Music video

The music video was directed by Michael Salomon, and features Bentley singing in front of a large party crowd. The video was #50 on the GAC's Top 50 Videos of the Year list. It was shot inside the Fuse nightclub, located inside the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center.

A second video, containing live performance footage, was released in August 2009. This is the most commonly used version on TV.

Critical reception

Kevin J. Coyne of Country Universe gave the song a C rating and thought that Bentley sounded uncomfortable singing the song, making it sound "dull and lifeless" as a result.^[3]

Popular culture

• The song was used and mixed by the dance crew Southern Movement, hailing from Nashville, Tennessee, during the first week and premiere of the fourth season of America's Best Dance Crew.
• "Sideways" was used with rewritten lyrics as a theme song for NASCAR on Fox at the very beginning of the pre-race show starting in the 2011 and the 2012 Sprint Cup Series seasons.^[4] In 2013, NASCAR on Fox returned to using the NFL on Fox theme.

Chart and sales performance

Chart (2009)	Peak position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[5]	63
US Billboard Hot 100[6]	35
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[7]	1

Year-end charts

Chart (2009)	Position
US Country Songs (Billboard)[8]	6

Certifications

Region	Certification	Sales/shipments
United States (RIAA)[9]	Gold	500,000^^
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone ^xunspecified figures based on certification alone

References

1. Donatelli, Anthony (December 15, 2015). "10 of the Best Bro-Country Songs". Retrieved January 25, 2016.
2. "Dierks Bentley "Sideways" over partnership". Great American Country. Retrieved 2009-03-23.
3. Coyne, Kevin J. (2009-03-05). "Dierks Bentley — "Sideways"". Country Universe. Retrieved 2009-03-23.
4. "Dierks Bentley Remakes "Sideways" for NASCAR". Country Music Television. 2011-02-04. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
5. "Dierks Bentley – Chart history" Canadian Hot 100 for Dierks Bentley. Retrieved April 4, 2011.
6. "Dierks Bentley – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Dierks Bentley. Retrieved April 4, 2011.
7. "Dierks Bentley – Chart history" Billboard Hot Country Songs for Dierks Bentley. Retrieved April 4, 2011.
8. "Best of 2009: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2009. Retrieved December 13, 2009.
9. "American single certifications – Dierks Bentley – Sideways". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 23, 2012. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics